Turn the Page
by bubblygal92
Summary: Just as things appear to be settling down, the multiverse is thrown into disarray. An old enemy is stirring in the background, and the Doctor and Rose have to realise that neither the past nor the future is easy to escape. Sequel to 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' and third in the 'Celestial Love' verse.
1. Home: The Powell Estate

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own any of it, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Welcome to a brand new story in the 'Celestial Love' verse. As always, it will contain 13 adventures with approx. 4 chapters per adventure. The first one is called 'Home' and picks up immediately after the last chapter of 'For Whom the Bell Tolls'.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Home: The Powell Estate**

The TARDIS materialised slowly in the alleyway between Kerry's market and the chippy. The residents of Powell Estate paid it no mind as they went about their business, hoping to get their shopping done before nightfall. An air of tension hung around the usually mundane surroundings, though not palpable enough to dim the continuous chatter and cacophony of voices.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor waited patiently for Rose, who had rushed to her room when he had been piloting them to the Powell Estate. The Doctor had successfully brought them to only two months after their last visit but it had been close to two years for the Doctor and Rose.

Rather aware that her mum would realise that it had been far longer than two months for Rose, she had decided to try and make herself appear as young as possible to soften the blow. The Doctor didn't deign to tell her that Jackie was bound to pick up on it, regardless of what Rose did.

To her credit, Rose did her best to appear younger. She had dug out her baggy jeans and bright pink t-shirt and hoodie from the back of the wardrobe, and tied her hair into two braids. Even her makeup was a bit on the heavy side. The Doctor raised his eyebrows when she emerged into the console room, but didn't say anything until she paused at the doors.

"Something wrong?" he inquired, slightly concerned.

She shrugged a little. "Just nervous, I guess," she said. "Are you sure it has been two months?"

"Two months to the day that we were here with Rory," said the Doctor, giving the scanner a quick glance. "Rose?" he asked again, when she made no move to leave the TARDIS and chewed nervously on her lips.

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" she asked embarrassed, loosening her braids and combing her fingers through her hair.

The Doctor's eyes softened as he walked up to her. "Jackie is your mother, and I am certain she will understand."

"I know she will," said Rose, tossing off the hoodie and picking up her leather jacket. "I'm just not sure how I will even start to explain for her to understand."

"I have complete faith in you, Rose," said the Doctor, cupping her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You'll know the right thing to say."

Heartened, Rose nodded with a soft smile. "'Kay," she said. "You comin'?"

"Do you want me to?" he asked cautiously, rather aware that she might not want him there until she'd had a chance to catch up with her mother.

"Yeah," she said after a brief moment of hesitation. The Doctor took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

They opened the doors and emerged out into the cooling late afternoon in London. The Doctor kept his eyes trained on Rose, smiling a little when the familiar surroundings seemed to calm her down.

The walk towards Bucknall House was quiet, with Rose too busy soaking up the familiar surroundings of the Estate and the Doctor's attention being completely focused on Rose. They climbed up the stairs quickly, and Rose had to marvel at the fact that the usual breathlessness she experienced while climbing these familiar stairs was suspiciously lacking. Running around and saving the universes had done her stamina a huge favour. _Well_, thought Rose, with a sideways glance at the Doctor. _Not just the running._

The door to number 48 was slightly ajar and Rose could hear the telly rattling off some show that had been running longer than Rose had been alive. Rose braced herself with a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Rose Marion Tyler, where the bleedin' hell have you been?"

"Mum, I can explain."

* * *

Jocelyn Miller pulled her threadbare coat closer to her body and tried not to shiver violently at the cold afternoon air. She kept her gaze down, as her mum had told her over and over again, and did not look up even when she realised that she was being followed. She increased her pace then, seeing the cross street only a few yards away.

Mrs. Davis' bakery was right on the corner of the cross street and she knew Jocelyn and her mum well. If she went in there and told her that someone was following her, Jocelyn knew that Mrs. Davis would keep her safe until her mum came for her. Gaining some of her courage back, Jocelyn walked as fast as her eleven year old's legs could carry her.

The afternoon seemed to get colder and even as Jocelyn felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead, she shivered violently. She was almost there now, and could smell the buns that Mrs. Davis sold off right before she closed up shop. Throwing caution to the wind, Jocelyn broke into a dead sprint.

Behind her, she heard her pursuer's steps grow fainter and fainter and she slowed down a little. Maybe nobody had been following her and she was just overreacting. It was all too possible considering how much her mum had put the fear of kidnappers into Jocelyn's mind. Four estate kids missing, her mum had said. Gone for a day and then back home as if nothing had ever happened.

But Jocelyn knew that it wasn't completely true. Carrie Taylor had been Jocelyn's classmate and she hadn't been quite the same since she had disappeared and reappeared after a day. She had left the band, and stopped coming to the hiding spot behind the shed where Jocelyn and her friends went to find the half smoked cigarettes left by the older kids. She never spoke much to anybody, and her grades had suddenly gone up. It unnerved Jocelyn to even look at Carrie anymore.

The bakery was so close that Jocelyn could tell that the buns had been slathered with mango jam, not raspberry like always. Her mouth watered and she decided that she would buy one of them on her way home. Her earlier fear had all but melted away and she slowed her pace as she neared the bakery.

"You dropped your headband."

Jocelyn gasped and whirled around at Carrie's voice. She was standing right behind Jocelyn and holding up a bright pink headband.

"I-It's not mine," stammered Jocelyn, some remote part of her brain shuddering at the thought of the bright pink headband in her red hair.

"Oh," said Carrie, with no surprise whatsoever and lowered her hand. "Never mind then. Are you going home?"

Jocelyn nodded mutely, wondering what Carrie would do if she just started running. Something about the deadpan look in her eyes was scaring Jocelyn.

"Can I walk with you?" asked Carrie, still with the same look on her face. "My mum says I am not to walk alone anymore."

Jocelyn nodded again and Carrie fell into step beside her. The two girls walked in silence for a while, and Jocelyn started to relax again when Carrie grabbed her arm. "Did you hear that?" she asked.

"Wh-What?" asked Jocelyn, feeling her throat go dry.

"I heard something down that alley," said Carrie, pointing to their right. "Come on, let's go look."

Jocelyn shook her arm from her grip. "I'm not wandering down any alleys," she said firmly. "You shouldn't either."

"Oh come on, someone could need help. I think I see someone with our school uniform," said Carrie as she walked into the alley slowly.

Jocelyn considered running and leaving Carrie behind but she had seen the familiar blue and grey checkered pattern of skirt as well. Someone from their school was down that alley. Remembering the recent disappearances, Jocelyn realised that this person from their school might be getting abducted. She thought about going for help, but Carrie had already gone down the alley and Jocelyn huffed in frustration before running after her.

The alley was dimly lit and Jocelyn could only barely make out the girl at the end of the alley. She had red hair much like Jocelyn's, except it hung down straight instead of the neat braids that Jocelyn's mum had made in the morning. "Hello?" called Jocelyn, realising that she couldn't see Carrie. "Carrie?"

There was no answer and Jocelyn decided to move towards the girl instead, who had her back to Jocelyn. "Hello?" called Jocelyn. "Are you alright?"

The girl turned around slowly and Jocelyn only had a brief moment to realise that the girl was perfectly identical to Jocelyn herself, with the same deadpan look in her eyes as Carrie. Before she could scream, her world had gone dark.

* * *

_"Rose Marion Tyler, where the bleedin' hell have you been?"_

_"Mum, I can explain."_

Despite that quick response, Rose found herself quite unable to form words in the face of her mother's expectant look tinged with anger. She blushed deeply and tried to think of what to say when the Doctor took it upon himself to break the awkward air in the flat.

"How about some tea?" the Doctor asked with a cheerful smile.

Mother and daughter turned to him with identical looks of incredulity and the smile vanished from his face as he slunk off to the kitchen, presumably to make tea.

Jackie turned back to Rose. "Still as mad as ever, isn't he?" she said.

"Dunno, he might have got worse," said Rose with a small smile. It held for a moment before she ran to her mum and threw her arms around her. "I missed you," she sobbed, not even bothering to hide the tears flowing from her eyes.

Jackie held her tightly, feeling her own eyes watering. "I missed you too, sweetheart," she said. "How long were you gone? You look so much older than when I last saw you."

"It's been a while," confessed Rose, still hugging her tightly. "So much has happened, mum. I don't even know where to start."

Jackie pulled away from the hug and in a familiar gesture, wiped the tears from Rose's face with a hankie. "You start from the beginning, love," she said, leading Rose to the sofa. "Himself is making tea, and you and I are going to have a chat. Start from the beginning and don't leave anything out."

Rose chuckled through her tears and nodded. "It's been two years since we were last here, I think," she said, looking at her mum with slightly scared eyes.

Jackie's eyes went wide. "Two bleedin' years?" she shrieked. "Doctor!"

"Mum, it isn't his fault," said Rose hastily as they heard the clinking of china suddenly go silent in the kitchen. "Lots of stuff happened, 'kay?"

"You keep saying that but I haven't heard what all this stuff was," said Jackie. "What was so important it took you two years to visit your own mother?"

"We were in another universe," said Rose.

Jackie narrowed her eyes. "Is that some fancy way of saying you and him were off doing god-knows-what in that blue box of his?" she asked.

"What?" asked Rose, appalled. "Mum, no. We were literally in another universe. Another Earth, just like this one. And we weren't just visiting either. We were trapped there."

Jackie stared at Rose as if expecting her to yell out 'Just kidding!' at any moment. When the silence continued to lengthen, she glared towards the kitchen. "Why did he go and get you trapped there then?" she asked loudly.

"Mum, it was my fault, not his," she said. "I have been infected...by this radiation."

Jackie's anger instantly morphed into concern. "What infection? Rose, are you…?"

"I'm fine," said Rose quickly. "Not dying or anything, I promise you. Not even sick. But it is not good for this universe if I stay here. The Doctor's people took us into the other universe to keep me in quarantine."

"His people? The fancy time travellin' folk then?" asked Jackie, still looking shaken.

Rose nodded. "They helped keep me safe and have given us a week here to visit," she said.

Jackie looked up in alarm. "You're not going back, are you?" she asked.

Rose's eyes softened. "Mum, I have to. I can't stay here. I'd be putting the whole universe at risk."

"I don't care," snapped Jackie. "I don't want you in another bleedin' universe where you can't even visit. Half the time I don't even know if you are alive or dead and now...no, you're staying right here, you are."

Rose sighed softly and took her mum's hand in comfort. "I am sorry, mum, I really am. You have no idea how much I missed you. Not getting to talk to you on the phone or visiting here was so hard. If I had my way, I would not go back to that universe either. But I can't do that."

"But you can, sweetheart," said Jackie, tears filling her eyes. "It's not safe for you to go away."

"It's not safe if I stay either," said Rose gently, sniffing lightly. "The universe will be destroyed if the Time Lords don't kill me first."

At Jackie's gasp, Rose realised her slip. "They're trying to kill you?" shrieked Jackie.

"Not really, mum," said Rose hastily, trying to placate her. "They just wanted to make sure that the universe was not destroyed. One person's life isn't such a huge deal in the grander scheme of things, I guess."

"Like hell it isn't," snapped Jackie. "You're my daughter and the most important thing in my universe and I'll be damned if I let a bunch of posh, time travel idiots take you away from me."

Rose chuckled. "That's more like it," she said.

Jackie did not smile, but her eyes softened. "You were away for two years?" she asked, as if she still couldn't believe it.

Rose smiled sadly and nodded. "Almost two, yeah. Wanna hear about it?" she asked.

"'Course I do," said Jackie at once, before raising her voice. "And you can stop hiding in the kitchen now."

The Doctor emerged from the kitchen bearing a sheepish smile and a tray of tea things. Jackie glared at him as he set the tray down and went about making the tea. "Don't think I'm not gonna have words with you," she said coolly, glaring daggers at the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded and handed her a cup of tea. "I would deserve every word, Jackie," he said sincerely.

Jackie looked between him and Rose for a few moments and huffed. "Fine then," she said. "You can start by telling me how long you've been shagging my daughter."

"Mum!" said Rose, shocked and embarrassed.

The Doctor didn't bat an eye at the question. "Nearly six months," he answered casually. "I could give you the precise…"

"Oh god," muttered Rose, dropping her head into her hands.

Jackie nodded curtly at the Doctor. "And?"

"And, I have asked Rose to bond with me which she has chosen to accept," he said.

"What's that then?" asked Jackie.

"It's a bit like getting engaged, mum," said Rose meekly.

Jackie's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're engaged?!"

Rose sighed and looked at the Doctor. "I think we are going to need something stronger than tea."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. What did you think?**

**Part 2 will deal with the budding crisis as well as the Doctor and Rose explaining things to Jackie. Plenty of character interaction to come along. Part 2 will be up soon.**

**See you then!**


	2. Home: The Little Things

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thank you for the wonderful response on the first chapter. This one contains some discussions about motherhood and children. It's nothing explicit, I promise.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Home: The Little Things**

As evening fell over London, Rose sat at the table in her mother's kitchen, trying very hard not to fidget. She could hear Jackie gathering up plates from the kitchen, muttering out loud if she ought to open the good bottle of wine or not. Rose didn't answer, lest she receive another tongue lashing from her mother about getting engaged to a mind-reading, time travelling alien.

All things considered, Rose knew it could have gone a lot worse. Jackie had been angry, but willing to listen and understand the bizarre world that Rose was trying to explain to her. Rose could see the worry plainly etched on her mum's face through it all, and the guilt weighing on her heart had only grown worse. She knew she had to bear through it though, because she owed her mum that much at least. Still, it did not make it easier to face her.

Surprisingly, it was the Doctor who was acting the mediator between them. He had answered Jackie's questions, even the most impertinent ones, with brutal honesty and accepted every one of her berating words just as he said he would. Rose had been dumbstruck by his ability to keep cool in the face of her mother's wrath, and she knew very well that Jackie was pleased with it too.

Rose found herself wondering how it was that her mother could accept the parallel universe and two years that had passed in between better than the fact that the Doctor and Rose were engaged. Even though they weren't, as Rose insisted when Jackie demanded why she couldn't see the ring on Rose's finger. The explanation about the telepathic bond had taken time to explain, and Jackie remained firmly convinced that the Doctor could read minds. Rose had seen the first signs of exasperation on the Doctor's face then, and she'd hastily changed the subject to dinner which the Doctor agreed to bring from the Thai takeaway place down the street.

Jackie had remained irritated when the Doctor had departed with a carefully written out food order from her mother, even after he assured her that he was capable of remembering it perfectly. Rose had situated herself at the kitchen table, trying hard to stave off the headache she was getting while Jackie insisted that some psychic, mind-reading thing was not going to work on her and the Doctor would marry Rose right and proper if he did.

"Jackie? You in 'ere?"

"Bev!" Jackie emerged from the kitchen to greet her friend. "Thought you'd be out with that no good Fred from down the hall."

Bev waved her hand airily in front of her. "Fred is old news, Jackie," she said and her bright blue eyes surrounded by equally blue eyeshadow found Rose. "Rose! Jackie didn't say you were coming home."

Rose smiled a little and let Bev smother her with a hug. "Yeah, bit of a surprise," she answered.

"Oh, but look at you," gushed Bev, looking her up and down. "Look so thin and pretty, you do. Is that Doctor fellow of yours making sure you eat enough?"

"He's making sure of something alright," sniped Jackie, pouring some wine and giving Bev the glass. "Madam here got engaged."

Bev's eyes widened and she snatched up Rose's left hand at once. Rose smiled to cover her embarrassment and gently extricated her hand from Bev's grip. "We haven't made it official," she fibbed.

"You better make sure that he puts a ring on your hand quick as he can, lovie," said Bev, gulping down wine at a rate that would alarm the Doctor for the vintage not being treated the way it deserved. "All the long engagements these young blokes get into these days just make it easier for them not to settle down."

Rose nodded with a polite smile, sipping the wine that her mum had given her to bite back the scream of frustration building inside her.

Bev was apparently satisfied that she had driven her point home with Rose, and turned to Jackie to catch her up on the latest gossip from the Estate. "Did you hear, Jackie? Fiona's little girl didn't come home from school today."

Jackie made a noise of sympathy in her throat and drank her wine. The nonchalant response from her usually protective mother took Rose aback. "Fiona's girl?" asked Rose. "Jocelyn?"

Bev nodded. "She'd be the fifth one to go missing," she said.

"Five kids have gone missing?" exclaimed Rose, shocked at their calm discussion.

"If you can call it that," said Jackie. "They go missing and turn up the next day. Not a hair on their head harmed."

Rose's brow furrowed as Bev nodded at that. "If you ask me, I'd reckon it's drugs," she said.

"You always think it's drugs," said Jackie, rolling her eyes. "I was talking to Billy yesterday and if anything, his boy has been studying more since his little vanishing act."

"Could be those ADHD drugs that make them focus," said Bev, apparently hell bent on her drugs theory.

"What did the police say?" interrupted Rose.

"What they always say," said Jackie with a sniff. "Estate kids getting into mischief. Nothing to worry about."

Rose wasn't surprised. "So, they just disappear one day and come back home without anything wrong?" she asked again.

"Said so, didn't I," said Jackie, refilling her glass of wine.

"Nikki Thorne wouldn't agree, Jackie," said Bev. "She's convinced that her little boy is possessed."

"Why?" asked Rose, remembering Nikki who was only a year older than Rose. Nikki had got pregnant at fifteen with her little boy Joshua. Rose had lost touch with her over the years, but she didn't remember Nikki being particularly religious.

"Said he's gone all quiet like. Makes no mischief," said Bev with a snort. "I told her I'd call it a blessing, not possession."

Jackie raised a glass in agreement and downed the wine. "'Course there's Bobby Renford spouting nonsense too," she said, her words slurring slightly.

"Bobby Renford?" asked Rose, remembering the weedy kid from school. "Thought he was in prison."

"Got out a month ago," said Bev. "He's been talking alien abduction. Always knew he was a meth head but I suppose one too many of those was bound to drive him bonkers."

"He's not a nutter, that one," said Jackie, looking very sleepy as she polished off her third glass of wine. "Aliens are real."

"Got too much wine in her, poor thing," said Bev sympathetically. "Get her in bed, Rose. I'll drop by tomorrow with breakfast."

Rose nodded and hugged Bev goodbye before escorting Jackie to her bedroom. She would sleep it off for a few hours and then eat before going back to bed. Rose knew that she'd had a long day with everything that she had been told, so she kissed her mum's forehead and pulled the duvet on top of her so she could sleep.

When she came outside, she saw the Doctor sonicing the flat door open, holding two bags of food.

"I come bearing food," he declared with a wide grin.

"Shh, mum's asleep," said Rose as she took one of the bags from him and led him to the kitchen.

"Asleep? So soon?" he asked in confusion as Rose fixed up two plates of food for them.

"She had some wine when her friend Bev stopped by," said Rose. "Speaking of, I think something weird's going on here."

The Doctor's ears pricked up at that. "What do you mean?" he asked, accepting the plate from Rose.

"Kids are going missing and then turning up a day later. Five of them in a fortnight or so," said Rose as they sat down on the sofa in the living room with their dinner.

The Doctor frowned. "Were they harmed?" he asked.

"Nothing obvious, no, but they are becoming all quiet and studious, I think," said Rose.

The Doctor pursed his lips. "That isn't much to go on," he said. "Could be nothing."

"That's what the police think anyway," said Rose. "There's this bloke, Bobby Renford, I knew him from school. He's been mumbling about aliens."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows sceptically. "And how reliable is this Bobby Renford?" he asked.

"Not very," admitted Rose. "But Bev was right. He's a user, not insane. He might have seen something." The Doctor nodded noncommittally as he ate. Rose huffed in irritation. "You don't believe me?" she asked.

"Rose," he sighed. "Of course I believe you. I am just not sure that there is anything here worth looking into."

"Five kids going missing is nothing to look into?" asked Rose incredulously.

"They are not missing though," he said softly. "They come right back home and there's nothing wrong with them. If you want, we could check up on them but I don't think there is anything mysterious going on here."

At her look of disbelief, he sighed again. "Rose, are you sure you are not just reading too much into things?" he asked. "I know things have been overwhelming with telling Jackie and all…"

Rose's face twisted in anger and she set her uneaten plate of food aside before leaving towards her bedroom. The door slammed shut a moment later. The Doctor sighed and turned to go after her when he heard the bedroom door open, but it was Jackie, who emerged from the other room.

"Who slammed the door?" asked Jackie, her words slightly slurred. She saw the Doctor's chagrined face, and looked between Rose's closed door and back to him. "You two have a lovers' tiff?" she asked, walking into the living room.

"No," said the Doctor shortly, but Jackie stood in his way before he could get to Rose's room. "Jackie, I need to talk to her."

"I'm sure you do," she said. "But I need to talk to you first."

The Doctor sighed but knew that there would be no point in talking to Rose before she'd had a chance to cool down, so he let Jackie lead him towards the sofa. "What did you want to know?" he asked with another sigh.

"Don't look so glum," said Jackie, sharply. "Did she tell you about the Estate kids going missing?"

"She did, yes," he said, not wanting to discuss this right now. "Jackie, I don't want to…"

"I think there's something wrong there," said Jackie, not giving him a chance to say anything. "The kids who come back, they are so changed. They don't smile and laugh like before, it's like they've turned into zombies." At the Doctor's look of interest, she continued. "I don't know if it's drugs or aliens or what, but something's happening to those children, Doctor."

"I see," he said and then rubbed his eyes. "Rose tried to tell me the same, but uh, I…"

"You didn't believe her," nodded Jackie. At his look of surprise, she rolled her eyes. "I was awake and eavesdropping, so what? It's my house."

He chuckled and nodded. "So it is," he said.

"I know my daughter, Doctor," said Jackie, sounding as calm as the Doctor had ever heard her. "She feels too much that one and doesn't want anyone to see how much it hurts. When she was seven, she twisted her ankle before her gymnastics competition and didn't tell me until after she'd got the bronze," she reminisced with a sad smile. "I know it hasn't been easy for her to tell me everything about what the two of you have been up to but I am so grateful that she has."

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

"What are you sorry for?" asked Jackie, her voice getting back the snappish quality. "I know you love my daughter and I know you have kept her safe. You could have abandoned her in that other world but you stuck by her and made sure she was okay. God knows I don't ask for much from Rose's blokes, but if I ever wanted her to settle down, it would be with you."

"Thank you, I think," said the Doctor, unsure if he was being given a compliment or not.

Jackie nodded sternly in reply. "Doesn't mean you're off the hook for not giving her a proper ring," she said. "I know your fancy mind reading stuff is important and all, but Rose is human. Don't you forget that."

"I assure you, Jackie, I will never forget that," he said.

Jackie looked satisfied enough at that. "Fine then. Go and make up with my daughter," she said. "And don't go thinking you can stay the night in her bed," she added as he rushed towards Rose's room.

"I won't, Jackie," he promised, before trying the door knob which turned under his hand easily.

The room was in semi-darkness when he entered, with only the night lamp on the side table being switched on. Rose was curled up on her bed, turned away from the lamp. The Doctor navigated the clutter in her room, until he was sitting on the bed behind Rose.

"Rose," he said softly, knowing that she was awake. "I am sorry."

"Me too," he heard her whisper.

Encouraged, he decided to lie down next to her on the tiny little bed. "Could you look at me, please?" he pleaded and sighed in relief when she turned on her side to face him. "I will set the TARDIS running scans for any alien tech in the vicinity, and we will go and talk to your friend Bobby first thing tomorrow," he promised.

Rose smiled a little and nodded. "It's not just about this, you know," she said softly, looking down at the duvet instead of him.

"I know, and I am sorry," he said, pulling her close so she could rest her head on his chest. "You are so strong, Rose Tyler, and I am truly sorry about what I said." He felt her nod, but then he could feel her nervousness as well. "Was there something else?" he asked lightly.

She tilted her head to look at him and nodded slowly. "All this talk of kids reminded me of something that Morgaine said," she said.

"Morgaine?" he asked, surprised.

"She lured me out of the castle in Camelot with this little girl," said Rose.

"Morgaine is capable of many telepathic tricks, Rose," said the Doctor, looking concerned. "Do you have a headache? Any lingering pain?"

"No, nothing of the sort," she assured him. "When I asked her who the girl was, she said she took the image from my memories and this whole time I have been trying to remember if she was someone we met on one of our trips. But I can't."

The Doctor looked worried as he encouraged Rose to move her head onto the pillow so he could hold her gaze. "What did she look like?" he asked.

Rose shrugged. "I dunno," she said. "Blonde hair, curly, I think," she said, running her fingers absently through the Doctor's curls. "Her eyes might have been blue but it was hard to tell." When the Doctor was quiet for a long moment, Rose grew worried. "What is it?" she asked.

"Morgaine said she got her from your mind?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Rose. "I know we haven't met anyone like that, but…"

"But?" he prompted.

"But she seemed really familiar too," said Rose, her brow furrowing. "Like I should know her, but didn't."

The pause was even more obvious now and Rose could practically see the cogs turning in the Doctor's head. She waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts.

"I think," he began after a long bout of silence. "I think I might know who she is." At Rose's questioning look, he sighed. "Do you remember the page I showed you about Arkytior and the Other from the book?"

"The one that you had torn off, yeah," nodded Rose. "What about it-oh."

"Yes, oh," he agreed.

"But I thought that was just a rumour," said Rose, confused.

"It wasn't," he said. "When the Guardians had us swap places, Arkytior told me that…"

"That she had borne a daughter?" asked Rose aghast. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly, I was not trying to keep it from you on purpose, Rose," he said earnestly.

"But she did say that," said Rose. "They really did have a daughter."

"Yes," he said softly. "They did."

A breath escaped Rose with a whoosh. "Did you see her?" she asked quietly.

"No," he answered. "They-they had already sent her to safety through the vortex."

"What does that mean?" asked Rose, alarmed.

"Not the way that they cast out Arkytior, no," he assured her quickly. "This was done to keep her safe. Where she will arrive, we cannot say."

"Will? So she's still in the vortex then?" asked Rose apprehensively.

"In a manner of speaking, yes," he said. At her look of frightened disbelief, he stroked her cheek softly. "I would know if she were anywhere in the multiverse. We would share genetic matter, not to mention a telepathic link to erm…"

"To us, you mean," said Rose quietly. "That was what you were going to say, weren't you?"

He looked at her with apprehension but nodded reluctantly. "Yes," he said. "I always wondered how Susan was related to me, and now, it makes sense." When Rose was quiet, staring unseeing at the duvet, he touched her cheek softly. "Rose?"

She looked up and he was startled to see tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping the tears away. "I-I just, I think I need some air."

"Rose," he caught her arm gently before she could leave. "Don't run from me, please. Just talk to me."

Rose wriggled away from him half-heartedly but at his sincere gaze, she stopped. "I don't think I...God, this makes me sound awful." The Doctor's gaze didn't waver and he stroked her cheek in reassurance. "I've never wanted to be a mother," she blurted out, trying not to crumple when she felt the Doctor stiffen. "I'm sorry, Doctor, but…"

"Hey, shh, it's okay," he said, pulling her into his embrace.

"No, no, it's not," she sobbed. "God, I am a horrible person."

"No, Rose, of course not," he said, rocking her gently. "You are the most compassionate person I know. You are anything but horrible."

"But I am," she said, pulling away and looking at him through tear-filled eyes. "I don't think I can be a mother, Doctor. I am sorry, but I can't. If one day we do find her, I am not sure if I can get over that and oh god, I don't know anything about being a mother…"

"Shh, shh, Rose," said the Doctor, running a soothing hand through her hair. "You are getting a bit ahead of yourself, precious girl. You don't have to be anything that you don't want to be, Rose."

"But I already am, aren't I?" she asked tearfully. "I am a mother, whether I like it or not."

"You are no more a mother than I am a father, Rose," he said gently. "We didn't choose this, you and I, and it doesn't make you a horrible person if you don't want it."

"I can't just walk away though, can I?" she said sadly.

"Do you want to?" he asked. "From me?"

"No, not from you," she said hastily. "Oh god, Doctor, I just...a mother…"

"It's alright, Rose," he said, hugging her tightly. "For all we know, it might not happen. But if it does, we will decide what to do. Together."

Rose looked at him and her lips quirked up a little. "What if I still feel the same?" she asked.

"I meant it when I said together, Rose," he said solemnly. "What you and I both want. We can deal with it as it comes."

They were quiet for a few moments, with the Doctor letting Rose absorb that notion. When he felt the tension leave her body, he smiled and kissed her forehead. "Get some sleep," he said softly. "We still have a mystery to solve."

"Can you stay?" she asked.

"Your mother has explicitly forbidden me to," he said and smiled when she did. "I'll get the scans started. You need your rest."

"'Kay," said Rose as she tilted up her head and kissed him softly. "See you in the morning."

"Goodnight," he said and kissed her again before easing himself out of her bed. "I'll be here bright and early."

He blew her a kiss from the doorway and at her delighted smile, he closed the door after him.

* * *

**A/N Thank you for reading.**

**I want to say right off that I won't be turning this into a full-time kid fic, nor will I be turning Rose into a children-hating woman or something. Just trust me for now, and watch as things unfold. Part 3 will be up soon. **

**See you then!**


	3. Home: Closer

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. I realise that updates have been slow but I have finally made myself put my butt in gear and 'Turn the Page' will now be updated every Tuesday. I might eventually make it twice a week but for now there will be a new chapter every Tuesday.**

**This is Part 3 of #1 Home and has Rose and Jackie sorting out some things. Plus, more on the children disappearing thing. There are a couple lines from 'The Stone Rose' in this chapter.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Home: Closer**

The next morning, Rose was up when she heard her mum in the kitchen making her morning tea. The familiarity of home brought a smile to her face as she jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up.

The events of the previous day caught up while she was brushing her teeth and her wide smile dimmed a little. The extra spring in her step was gone by the time she emerged out into the living room and hugged her mum good morning.

"Breakfast's on the table," said Jackie absently. "Cooked a proper fry up and all."

"Thought Bev was coming over with breakfast," said Rose as she picked at some toast.

"Called me some time ago and told me she ended up with Fred last night after she left here," said Jackie, rolling her eyes. "I told her he's no good." She looked at her daughter and sat down at the table next to her. "You and your Doctor sort out your little tiff then?" she asked.

"Wasn't a tiff," said Rose. "Just bein' silly."

"Right, and I'm the bloody Queen," said Jackie with a snort. "What's goin' on with you two?"

Rose set her toast aside and looked at her mum. "What did you feel like when you were pregnant with me?" she asked. "And before you ask," she added to her mum's alarmed look. "No, I am not pregnant."

"I should bloody well hope not," snapped Jackie, glaring at her just the same. "You make sure he marries you before you decide to get saddled with a baby, Rose."

"Mum," said Rose exasperatedly. "Give over, yeah? I just asked a simple question and if you don't wanna say then fine…"

"When did I say I wouldn't answer," said Jackie indignantly and then exhaled thoughtfully. "I was scared out of my wits when I found out. Pete and I had just got engaged and hadn't exactly planned it, you know. Mum was furious when she found out. She barely liked Pete as is, and that didn't help at all."

"Nan didn't like Dad?" asked Rose, surprised.

"She said she loathed him, but I knew she was secretly fond of him," said Jackie with a sad smile.

"Kind of like you and the Doctor then," Rose couldn't help but say. She laughed when Jackie made a face. "Don't be like that. I know you like that he's so honest about everything you ask."

"Don't know what you mean," said Jackie primly. "Anyway, we were talking about me getting pregnant."

"So, Nan was angry?" prompted Rose, eager to know.

Jackie nodded. "Right and proper angry. I wasn't much better, you know. Barely twenty and up the duff with the first bloke I'd been with," she said.

"You didn't want it?" asked Rose softly.

Jackie looked away sadly. "I thought I didn't," she said. "I was too young, and Pete and I had dreams. A baby would change all that."

"What changed then?" asked Rose.

"Knew you were something wonderful," said Jackie, looking at her with a soft look in her eyes. "When I stopped being angry, I just knew that I wanted you to come into this world. It didn't matter if Pete and I stayed on the Estate all our lives, if all we got was you."

"But you and Dad always wanted kids, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, we always planned to have them," nodded Jackie. "The time wasn't right, but you were."

Rose smiled a little. "What if...what if one of you didn't want the baby but the other did?" she asked hesitatingly, looking away from her mother's knowing gaze.

"You shouldn't keep holdin' yourself back because of Jimmy forever, sweetheart," she said gently.

"This isn't about Jimmy," protested Rose.

"No, this is about you and the Doctor," said Jackie. "But I know you said you wouldn't want kids 'cos of that wanker Jimmy."

"I still don't," Rose blurted out.

Jackie looked at her speculatively for a moment. "You remember your cousin Amber? Remember what she was like?" she asked.

"You're saying I'll change my mind once I am old enough or something?" asked Rose sceptically, remembering her cousin Amber who had been vehement all her life about never having children but had three planned children in five years after hitting thirty.

"No," said Jackie simply. "I am telling you that sometimes people change their minds. Vera from No. 34 always wanted kids but couldn't go through it when she got pregnant. What I am trying to get through your thick skull, Rose Marion Tyler, is that you are neither me, nor Amber or Vera. You're you, and nobody else's decision will help you."

Rose stared at her mother with a look of confusion.

"You have to decide for yourself, Rose," said Jackie seriously. "If you don't want to have children because you don't want them, then you tell your Doctor and you two see if you can move past it together. If you are holding yourself back only because of a bad relationship with Jimmy, or because you are scared of being a mum, then you are an idiot."

"I'm scared I won't be able to do it," admitted Rose in a low voice.

"Then you are like any other mum in the entire world," said Jackie warmly. "I know you, sweetheart, even when you come home after two years. I said it to the Doctor and I'll say it to you. You have a big heart and a lot of love to give. If you did have children some day, I know you would a great mother."

Rose's eyes sparkled with tears as she got up and hugged her mother tightly. "Not as good as you though," she said.

"Oh stop it now," sniffed Jackie, hugging her tightly. "Don't make me all weepy in the morning. My face will puff up."

Rose laughed wetly as she pulled away and kissed her mum's cheek. "Thanks, mum," she said.

"Yeah, alright, alright," said Jackie, as she wiped off Rose's tears with a hankie. "Now, finish off your breakfast, and not just the toast. I know you didn't eat anything last night."

Rose nodded and started digging into the fry up that her mum had cooked. It was greasy and had gone a little cold but she had second helpings of everything because she was ravenous. She also felt tremendously better after talking to her mum.

She had just finished off her last piece of toast when she heard the flat door open. She abandoned the tea she had raised to her lips and ran to greet the Doctor. She caught him just as he was closing the door behind him and he only had time to say hello to her before she had glued her lips to his.

He kissed her back almost immediately, his back hitting the closed door when Rose chased after his tongue relentlessly, sucking it into her mouth with practised ease. His hands flailed around a little before grabbing her waist and pulling her tighter against him.

Rose pulled away with a gasp, beaming widely at him. "Morning," she said.

"Good morning," he said, a bit breathlessly which filled her with pride. "Any reason for such a lovely welcome?" he asked, his hands drifting to her bottom.

"I love you," she said, placing her hands on his chest, one on each heart. "And I have had time to think about what we talked about last night." When he opened his mouth to interrupt, she placed a hand on his mouth, stopping him. "I won't lie and say I am ready. But I know that as long as I have you, I don't have to be so afraid, yeah? You just have to be patient with me."

His eyes were warm as he nodded. "Of course," he said, once Rose removed her hand from his mouth. "Anything you want, my love," he murmured in her ear, using the rare term of endearment he hardly ever spoke out of the bedroom.

"Oi, you two! Gonna stand in the hallway all day, are you?" came Jackie's voice and it was a good thing too, because Rose was about to drag him into her bedroom and not leave for a few hours at least.

They pulled away reluctantly and went into the kitchen where Jackie was waiting for them with a cross look on her face. "Don't you think I don't know what you were doing," she said, narrowing her eyes at the Doctor. "Not under my roof, you hear me?"

"Good morning, Jackie," said the Doctor as he sat at the table, smiling when Rose immediately situated herself on his lap, despite her mother's glare. "Your rules under your roof," he nodded with a bright grin at Jackie as Rose fed him some toast.

Jackie rolled her eyes at the pair of them. "I'm off to lecture Bev about her taste in men and then to the market. You gonna be here for lunch then?" she asked.

"We'll get some chips," said Rose. "We're talking to Bobby and looking into this kids disappearing thing."

"Well don't be getting into too much trouble, you hear?" said Jackie as she went to grab her purse and shoes. "Take your keys and be back for dinner, will you?"

"Will do, mum," said Rose. "See you."

Jackie waved and left the flat with a cheery goodbye. Rose turned back to the Doctor who had a mouthful of tea that he swallowed before he kissed her slowly.

"We have to leave the flat or we are not going to move at all," he said when they pulled away.

Rose laughed in agreement and stood up. "I'll go and get dressed. Meet me near the TARDIS? Nothing in my closet here fits me anymore."

The Doctor nodded as he shovelled some eggs into his mouth. "I'll meet you in ten minutes," he said as Rose pulled on her leather jacket over her baggy pyjama bottoms and ratty tank top.

"Speaking of," said Rose, slipping her feet into shoes. "Did the scans turn anything up?"

"Some odd energy signals but nothing conclusive," he answered absently. "The TARDIS has to be reconfigured for this universe…"

"And we're only here a week," finished Rose with a sigh. "It's okay, we'll do it the old fashioned way this time."

The Doctor shot her a look full of adoration. "Go on then, get ready. We could go and see your friend."

"Are you sure you want to come?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he said at once.

"Well, no offence, but dressed like you are, there is a possibility that you might get lynched where we are going," she said, only half-joking.

Without missing a beat, he winked at her. "I'm sure you'd protect me," he said.

Rose laughed and turned to leave. "Lock the doors after you. Mum will kill you if someone breaks in because you left the door open," she warned him.

He nodded back at that and Rose left with a grin.

* * *

The Doctor was certain that Rose had been exaggerating about him getting lynched where they were going, right until the moment she led him towards Paradise Grove. The only thing that could make it be called a grove was a solitary hawthorn tree on the verge of death, and absolutely nothing to say it was a paradise.

The concrete road was slimy and the stench was so bad that the Doctor was holding his breath more often than not. Despite the daylight, it felt oddly dark, and the various people looking at them through cautious, hooded eyes as they passed did not help.

While the Doctor kept an eye around them as if expecting to be jumped any minute, Rose seemed relatively at ease. She even nodded at a few people they passed, who smiled tentatively at her and then immediately looked at him like he was mad. When they finally did get to Paradise Grove, Rose greeted the young man sitting near the stairs with a wide smile.

"Alright, Chas?" she asked.

"Rose Tyler, look at you," said Chas, tossing his cigarette away and standing up to greet her. "Haven't seen you around for a while."

"Been off travelling," said Rose, inclining her head towards the Doctor.

Chas looked at the Doctor and did a double take. "Where'd you find this one then, Rose?" he asked, looking him up and down. "19th century?"

"Outer space, actually," said Rose with a wink, making Chas laugh. "Is Bobby around? I wanted to see him."

"Yeah, he's up in his flat," answered Chas, though he still kept darting looks at the Doctor, as if he couldn't believe he was real. "Is that real silver, mate?" he asked, looking at the chain holding the pocket watch to the Doctor's waistcoat.

"Yes," answered the Doctor.

"I'd be careful with it if I were you," said Chas. "Not everyone here is as nice or sober as I am."

"He's got me to protect him, don't worry," grinned Rose.

Chas smiled a little. "Don't doubt that," he nodded. "Why'd you wanna see Bobby then? He's not exactly making much sense these days."

"Yeah, I heard," said Rose. "What'd you make of it?"

"Think he might have moved on from meth," shrugged Chas. "Got to be some heavy stuff if he's been talking about aliens and locking himself in his flat like a loony."

The Doctor glanced at Rose, whose smile had become a bit fixed. "Thanks for the warning," she said, pleasantly enough. "I'll see you around, Chas."

"Sure thing," nodded Chas. "See you around, mate," he said to the Doctor.

"Likewise," he said and then followed Rose up the stairs. "Old friend?" he inquired when they had reached the third floor.

"He was Jimmy's mate more than mine," said Rose, avoiding his gaze as they climbed. "Always nice to me though. Nicer than Jimmy anyway."

The Doctor frowned but didn't press as Rose led him towards the hallway on the fourth floor. There were three flats on either side of them, and the Doctor could hear the same football match from the three adjacent flats on their right, but two of the flats on their left had broken doors and smelled alarmingly of dead rodents. Rose knocked on the only other door that was left.

There was no answer after she had knocked but a small shadow had fallen over the peephole in the door before disappearing. It seemed as if Bobby had seen who it was and then decided not to answer. Rose seemed to have come to the same conclusion, so she knocked again.

"Bobby, it's Rose Tyler," she said. "Open up, will you? I just wanna talk."

There was silence before the door opened just a crack. "Who's the other one?" asked the hoarse voice which the Doctor presumed belonged to Bobby Renford.

"He's my friend," said Rose.

"Why's he dressed like a nutter then?" asked Bobby.

"I am not from around here," said the Doctor.

"That is obvious," said Bobby and inched the door open enough so that he could poke his face out.

The Doctor realised quickly that he had been taking methamphetamine, judging from his dilated pupils, tremors and excessive sweating. Despite him being around the same age as Rose, he looked years older due to his unhealthy pallor. He glanced at Rose who looked unfazed at Bobby's appearance.

"Can we come in?" she asked.

"Why?" asked Bobby suspiciously.

"We wanna ask if you know anything about those kids disappearing," said Rose.

"Are you here to make fun of me?" he asked.

"No, I am not, Bobby," said Rose calmly. "Look, I just wanna know what you know, 'kay?"

"You won't believe me," said Bobby.

"Try us," said Rose. "Please."

Bobby slammed the door shut, but then they heard him opening the chain latch so that the door could open fully. Rose smiled at him gratefully as they entered the small flat. "I don't have any tea to offer, sorry," said Bobby as he cleared some papers off the small, stuffed sofa.

"That's alright," said Rose as she and the Doctor sat down. "We had breakfast just before we came here."

Bobby nodded and sat himself down cross-legged on the coffee table. "What do you wanna know?"

"Anything you wanna to tell us," said Rose.

Bobby looked a little unsure but then nodded. "I know people say that I am a nutter for saying it and all, but I am telling you, those kids that come back are not the kids that go missing," he said.

"What makes you say that?" asked Rose, exchanging a look with the Doctor.

"See that window over there," he said, pointing to the small window that he had covered up with silver foil. "It looks over the alleyway behind Mrs. Davis' bakery. All the kiddies that went missing were last seen over there."

"You saw them being taken?" asked Rose, leaning forward in interest.

Bobby nodded vigorously, emboldened by the fact that they appeared to be believing him. "I see them walk into the alley, and then there's a twin who looks exactly like them. The two of them just disappear then, and the kids come back the next day. But I saw the ones who come back, Rose, and they are those weird twins with their blank faces. It's got to be aliens, I know it has."

"Do you see anybody else?" asked the Doctor.

Bobby shook his head. "It's just them," he said. "But the air goes funny when they disappear and reappear."

"Could be a transmat spot," said Rose, turning to the Doctor who nodded absently.

"You believe me then," said Bobby, looking at Rose with wide eyes. "You really, properly believe me?"

"Yeah, I do," said Rose. "We'll look into it, Bobby, don't worry."

* * *

"This is the place?" asked the Doctor, wrinkling his nose at the overpowering stench of the alley.

Rose nodded as she looked around. "Can't believe they are disappearing from here of all places," she murmured. "Mum used to get mad when I cut through here on my way from school instead of walking around the playground."

"Rebellious streak, I like it," he winked at her. "Hold on, here's something." He held up a bright pink headband. "Do you think it belongs to the missing girl?"

"Jocelyn? No way," said Rose, at once. "Girl's a ginger. I don't think I've ever met a redhead who enjoys wearing pink voluntarily."

"It's got some sort of a residue on it," said the Doctor, digging into his pockets and pulling out a pair of half moon glasses with a golden rim. He perched the glasses on his nose and examined the headband acutely. "It looks familiar," he said and looked up only to see Rose gaping at him. "What?"

"You're wearing glasses," said Rose, still staring at him.

His brow furrowed as he took them off and looked at them speculatively. "Yes, I found them last night when I was cleaning out one of the TARDIS store rooms. I wore them in my fifth life. Thought my eyes could use a little help," he said brightly before his smile faltered. "Don't you like them?"

Rose blushed bright red and nodded quickly. "They're fine, yeah," she stammered. "You should definitely keep them." He smirked at her and Rose rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she said fondly. "Tell us about the residue."

The Doctor laughed heartily and held up the pink headband so that Rose could see the silver splotches on them. "We can analyse this back in the TARDIS," he said.

"What about the transmat spot?" asked Rose.

"Well, I can't find anything here to suggest that there might be a transmat spot around here," said the Doctor.

"Yeah, you might be right," said Rose, as she kicked a stray can at the far end of the valley. It clinked its way past, before vanishing abruptly. "Did you see that?" she asked, surprised.

"I did," said the Doctor as he and Rose moved towards the wall cautiously. The Doctor picked up another one of those cans and threw it at the wall. Like the one before, the can simply vanished once it touched the wall.

Rose looked at the Doctor with wide eyes. "Magic door?" she asked.

He grinned at her and offered his hand. "Let's find out."

* * *

**A/N Thanks for reading. This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

**The final part of #1 Home will be up next Tuesday. See you then!**


	4. Home: Where the Heart Is

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thank you for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. Here is Part 4 for #1 Home. It is a short chapter but I hope you enjoy it just the same.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**Home: Where the Heart Is**

The magic door as Rose had called it, was actually a door hidden with a perception filter leading onto a spaceship. The Doctor explained this when they both walked through the wall and emerged onto the control deck of a star cruiser.

The deck appeared to be empty, with only the various machines running scans in the background. The place was in semi-darkness and the Doctor got a thoughtful look on his face as he examined the technology curiously. They had only taken a few steps when a hologram popped up in front of them.

"Halt! State your name, rank and intention."

"Is that...that's Fitz," said Rose, surprised.

"No, it's only a hologram," said the Doctor. "It must have scanned us and picked a face we'd recognise."

"State your name, rank and intention," intoned the Fitz-hologram again.

"Uh, yes, yes, I am the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler," said the Doctor. "We are civilians and we are investigating some missing children in the area."

The hologram was silent for a moment before it solidified to look almost human. If it hadn't been for the disconcertingly blank look on his face, they might as well have thought that the real Fitz had somehow materialised in front of them.

"Follow me," said the Fitz-clone, turning around and leading the way.

The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look and followed after him. "Do you recognise the technology?" asked Rose in a low murmur.

"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact," whispered the Doctor before raising his voice. "What I don't understand is why the Jeskalonians have come to Earth of all places."

The Fitz-clone stopped and turned around to look at him. "You know of us?" he asked.

"Yes, but I have never seen your lot so far from home," said the Doctor. "What happened?"

"Who are they?" asked Rose curiously.

"The Jeskalonians are a brood parasite," said the Doctor.

"Like the cuckoo bird?" asked Rose, remembering the term vaguely.

"Yes, exactly like the cuckoo bird," said the Doctor with a grin. "However, unlike the brood parasites of Earth, the Jeskalonians have more of a symbiotic relationship with their host. They adopt alien children and replace them with their own until the children are a certain age. A bit like intergalactic culture exchange. Very popular with some species."

"I doubt human beings count as one of those," said Rose.

"We have not harmed the Earth children," said the Fitz-clone, managing to sound indignant even in his monotonous voice. He activated a dial which turned on the screen in front of them.

The Doctor and Rose raised their eyebrows when they saw the five children who had gone missing, enjoying what appeared to be a competitive video game. There were occasional cheers coupled with shouts of frustrations, but there was no doubt that they weren't in any danger.

"I know you wouldn't harm them," said the Doctor, tearing his eyes away from the screen to look at the Fitz-clone. "What Rose meant was that human beings as a species are very protective of their young. If they realise this little exchange has taken place, I cannot guarantee the safety of the Jeskalonian children."

"They won't kill the children," snapped Rose, glaring at the Doctor.

"No, but if a human medical professional was to look too closely…" said the Doctor gently.

Rose nodded, though she still looked a little put out. She turned to the Fitz-clone who had got a thoughtful look on his face. "Look, you have to return those kids back to their parents and take your children back. For all their sakes," she said.

"The project will then be a failure," said the Fitz-clone.

"What I still don't understand is why you came to Earth of all places," said the Doctor, shaking his head. "There are plenty of planets near yours where exchanging offspring is a common tradition."

"It was decreed that our scope had to be extended. Envoys have been dispatched all over the galaxy in order to conduct experiments on a trial basis," said the Fitz-clone.

"So, this was just an experiment then?" asked Rose.

"One that has now failed," the Fitz-clone sounded dejected.

"Don't be so down on yourself," said the Doctor, encouragingly. "Look, what's your name? Your real name, not this hologram."

"Lambda Regent 11010001," he answered gloomily.

"Lambda, may I call you, Lambda?" asked the Doctor, and waited until he nodded. "Well, Lambda, one failed sample does not mean the whole experiment was wrong. Yours is a powerful metamorph species, with one of the kindest natures I have ever encountered. The perfect combination of organic and cyber technology, born on a planet ravaged by constant dust storms and earthquakes. Your technology surpasses anything else in this galaxy and your compassion has only made you stronger. So don't be disheartened, Lambda. Embrace your failure and move onto to the next sample. Preferably a planet with more tolerant tendencies towards exchanging offspring."

Lambda nodded slowly, starting to look less depressed. Rose smiled fondly at the Doctor, delighted that his words had made Lambda feel better. "There is a procedure to reverse teleport the exchanged offspring," said Lambda finally. "An additional safeguard is in place to wipe the memories of the children, if required."

The Doctor smiled. "Tell you what, Lambda, skip the memory wipe. Let the children have those memories. They will fade with the years, but they might just remember them on an odd night when they gaze at the stars and wonder if there really is life beyond what they know," he said.

Lambda nodded. "Very well," he said. "Initiating exit strategy 1000110010011110."

Rose watched with wide eyes as golden particles whirled around the children, almost obscuring them into the shining haze before clearing slowly. The children were still there but Rose could tell that they were no longer the human children but the Jeskalonians despite their outward appearances. She glanced at the Doctor who beamed at Lambda.

"Wonderful, Lambda," said the Doctor. "Thank you."

Lambda's outward appearance of Fitz slowly morphed into a magnificent silver, translucent shadow in the shape of a tripedal organism the size of a large jungle cat. "Thank you, Doctor, Rose Tyler," said Lambda, his voice sounding a tiny bit more mechanical than before.

"Oh, you are beautiful," said the Doctor. "Well, Rose and I will be on our way then. Have a safe journey, Lambda. I wish you the best in your future experiments."

Lambda nodded gratefully. "Your good wishes are noted. The Jeskalonian council will always be grateful," he said.

"See ya," said Rose brightly as she and the Doctor went back the way they had come from and stepped through the wall to find themselves in the alley. "Will we see them leaving?" she asked the Doctor.

"Shh, just watch," said the Doctor, pointing to the wall which was shimmering just slightly. The shimmer became more pronounced and then died down, leaving the wall looking just like before. The Doctor nodded at Rose and she touched the wall experimentally, gasping a little when she felt the solid cold bricks under her hand and nothing else. "They're gone," said the Doctor, grinning at her.

"Shame, I liked them," said Rose as the two of them started to walk back to Jackie's flat. "You know, apart from the abducting children thing."

"They're just one of the many delights of this universe," he said. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"

"What?" asked Rose curiously.

"How many such delights exist," he grinned.

"Aren't you supposed to know that?" teased Rose as they climbed the stairs of Bucknall House. "Being the all-knowing ancient Time Lord that you are."

"Ancient? Ancient?" he asked, looking outraged. "Why, you cheeky…"

Rose giggled and took off up the stairs, the Doctor close on her heels. His stride was longer than hers and with him taking two steps at a time, he had caught up to her in no time. He snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her up against him, her back against his front. Rose fumbled with the keys to open the door to the flat and the Doctor carried her inside the minute the door opened.

The keys clinked as they missed the bowl where Rose threw them but neither of them paid it any attention. Jackie still wasn't home, and Rose wriggled out of his grip briefly so she could grab his arm and pull him into her room. He went willingly, eyes gleaming darkly as he shut the door behind him firmly and locked it. Rose had dropped her jacket and was beckoning him with a grin but before the Doctor could make good on his promise, they heard Jackie calling their names outside.

Rose started laughing at the petulant look on the Doctor's face as she walked past him to open the door. "Hi mum," she greeted.

"Why was the bleedin' door open?" demanded Jackie, hands on her hips.

"Sorry, we were just in a bit of a hurry," said Rose, stepping out of the room after shooting the Doctor an apologetic look who waved her apology away. He was aware that Rose could very well have only this week with her mother and he would not begrudge her a moment longer of that.

Jackie's eyes narrowed when the Doctor walked out after Rose, but she refrained from commenting. "You won't believe what Bev told me," she said, looking at Rose. "It's about the Taylor girl. Carol or Carrie, her name. Never can remember which one."

"What about her?" asked Rose curiously, remembering Carrie Taylor being one of the children that the Jeskalonians had taken in.

"Bev said she was on the playground before she started glowing all golden like and then just like that she was fine," said Jackie. "Wouldn't have anything to do with you two, would it?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at the pair of them.

The Doctor gave her his most innocent look. "Of course not, Jackie," he said brightly. "We had absolutely nothing to do with that."

* * *

Later that night, long after the Doctor had gone back to the TARDIS, Rose and Jackie sat on the sofa in the living room, drinking wine.

"And you don't know when you can come back again?" asked Jackie.

Rose shook her head sadly. "They can't be sure when it will go away. If it will even happen in my lifetime," she said.

Jackie's eyes filled with tears. "Can't your Doctor do anything? Cure it or something?" she asked, a note of desperation in her voice.

Rose set her wineglass aside and took her mum's hand. "He's doing everything he can, mum," she said earnestly. "Honestly, if there was a way he would have done it by now."

"You're my little girl, Rose," said Jackie tearfully. "Am I just supposed to say goodbye to you in five days and not know if I will ever see you again?" Rose blinked back tears and didn't answer. Jackie began to sob and Rose knew there was nothing else she could do but hug her mother and tell her she would be alright.

"I won't even be able to see you get married," said Jackie, through her tears.

Rose didn't feel like pointing out that she and the Doctor would perhaps never get married in the way her mother would want them to. She just patted her mum's back soothingly.

Jackie pulled away and wiped her tears clumsily before looking at Rose sharply. "I know what you are thinking, Rose Marion Tyler," she said. "But mark my words when I say that you will have a proper wedding. For your sake, if not anybody else's."

"Alright, mum," said Rose as sincerely as she could, not wanting to press the issue.

Jackie searched her eyes for a moment. "Stay here," she said and stood up. "I've got something for you."

Rose's brow furrowed as her mum walked into her bedroom and emerged with her handbag. She set it down on the coffee table and rummaged through it briefly. "Got this when I went out today," said Jackie. "Been sitting in the deposit box for ages." She held up the object in question and Rose's eyes went wide.

"That's Nan's, isn't it?" she asked, staring at the wedding band that Jackie was holding.

"Yeah," said Jackie, smiling at it fondly. "I know it isn't flashy…"

"It's beautiful," said Rose, admiring the rows of tiny diamonds and sapphires entwined in a vine to form a delicate wedding band. The stones were miniscule and it was only silver that held them but Rose remembered how much her Nan had treasured it.

"Take it," said Jackie. "Mum wanted you to have it anyway. There's a matching men's band too. It belonged to Granddad Prentice."

Rose looked at the other band which was just plain silver, and then back at her Nan's. "I can't take them," said Rose. "They should have been yours and Dad's."

"Pete's family had their own set of rings to give us," said Jackie, gazing fondly at her own wedding ring that she had never taken off even after all these years. "Take them, and wear them as a way to remember us."

Rose took the two rings from her mum and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," she said.

Jackie patted her back and held her just as tightly. "Promise me, Rose," she said, her voice shaking as she started crying. "Promise me that you will be happy."

Rose nodded and buried her head in her mum's neck. "I promise," she said. "Even if I never see you again, I promise you I will do my best to be happy."

* * *

**A/N End of #1 Home. I know the fluff level is off the charts but it is going to be fluffy for a while, with heavy stuff making an appearance in full force later. Plus, writing fluff is always fun. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**Part 1 of the next adventure will be up soon. See you then!**


	5. The Labyrinth: Splintered Time

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. Here is story #2 The Labyrinth. I had initially named it 'The Haunting' but I changed my mind.**

**Some adult content in this chapter, though nothing explicit. Also, I apologise for the end.**

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Labyrinth: Splintered Time**

The TARDIS rotor moved up and down seamlessly, and the usual thrum of the vortex accompanied the ship's own low hum. The Doctor kept an eye on the readings, throwing frequent looks at Rose who had barely spoken two words after they had said goodbye to Jackie.

The rest of the week on Powell Estate had not been as eventful as the first two days, and the Doctor had mostly spent his time cleaning out the storerooms in the TARDIS while Rose and her mother had indulged in shopping, family dinners and Estate gossip on Jackie's part. The Doctor had stayed well out of way, letting Rose enjoy her time with Jackie, though he did join them for breakfast practically every morning.

Jackie had held him back the morning before, when Rose had gone in to take a shower. "Well?" she had asked him sharply.

"Well, what, Jackie?" he asked, wondering if he had said something unseemly during breakfast. Rose had been rather distracting, tracing circles on his thigh under the table and he hadn't exactly been paying attention.

"Don't play coy with me, you hear?" she snapped. "I don't know if I will ever see my daughter after tomorrow and I need to know that she will always be looked after."

"Of course, Jackie," he said sincerely. "Rose means more to me than anything, I assure you."

"You'd better mean that," said Jackie, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I do," he nodded.

Jackie nodded back, appearing to have believed him. "Are you gonna marry her then?" she asked bluntly.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "Jackie, Rose and I haven't discussed…"

"I am not asking what you two have discussed," she interrupted. "I am asking about you. Are you going to marry her?"

He met her sharp gaze and nodded slowly. "If she wants to, yes," he said honestly.

Jackie was silent for a while and the Doctor was considering running back to the TARDIS when she spoke again. "Just look after her, okay?" she said, looking tearful.

"I will, I promise, Jackie," said the Doctor sincerely. He remembered something else, and he cleared his throat lightly. "If I were to marry Rose, I would need permission from her parents as per the tradition of my people."

Jackie choked back a sob and nodded. "You have my permission for what it's worth," she said.

He took a deep breath. "Officially, the words would be 'I consent and gladly give'," he said gently.

Jackie wiped her tears away. "I consent and gladly give," she repeated. "Yeah?"

"Thank you, Jackie," he said sincerely.

He knew that the traditions were no longer adhered to on Gallifrey, but considering that he and Rose were breaking the rules as it is by initiating a bonding, he supposed that they might as well do it properly. He had no idea what the Time Lords would think of him and Rose bonding but he decided that he didn't care. If they didn't like it, well, it wasn't like he and Rose were planning on going to Gallifrey unless they were absolutely required to.

A light beep from the console drew his attention back to the present and he spoke softly. "Hold on tightly, we are about to cross back," he said.

Rose didn't reply but he saw her standing from her chair and holding onto the metal scaffolding around the console tightly. The TARDIS shook lightly and the ride back to their parallel universe was considerably shakier than before. The shaking continued for quite a while before the scanners lit up, indicating that they had successfully crossed into the parallel universe.

"Anything from Fitz?" asked Rose, breaking the silence.

The Doctor checked the TARDIS systems and shook his head. "He might not want to return, Rose," he said gently. He was used to people leaving him and never wanting to come back, and a part of him was expecting Fitz to do the same, but he knew that Rose had been fully expecting him to return.

"He wouldn't do that," said Rose stubbornly before sighing loudly. "Suppose it's possible though, isn't it?" she asked in a tired voice.

The Doctor pushed away from the console and enfolded her in his arms. "Possible does not mean probable, Rose," he said comfortingly. "He will call when he is ready. And if he never is, then all we can hope for is that he will remember us with fondness."

Rose nodded and buried her face in the Doctor's neck. "Thank you," she said.

His brow furrowed and he pulled away a little to look her in the eye. "Why are you thanking me?" he asked.

"I know it wasn't easy for you to be planted on Earth for the full week, not to mention facing mum," said Rose. "Guess I'm just grateful you stayed, is all."

"There is nowhere else I would have wanted to be," he said sincerely before his gaze turned mischievous. "Well, almost nowhere else. I would have preferred to have you to myself in the TARDIS, though I suppose we could do that now since there's nothing to stop us."

Rose giggled as he hoisted her up in his arms and carried her down the corridor to their room. She wrapped an arm around his neck and used her other hand to untie his cravat. The piece of silk fluttered to the floor somewhere in the corridor, but it went largely unnoticed once the Doctor moved his head down to glue their lips together. Rose had never been more grateful for his excellent sense of direction, at least inside the TARDIS, because she knew that they would never have made it into their room without it.

As it was, they got there without any incident and Rose grinned when he sat her down on the edge of the bed without breaking their kiss. His hands trailed up her body to loosen her ponytail. The hair that had been close to reaching down to her waist was now resting near the middle of her back, after her mother had been over it with her clippers. Rose revelled in the gentle touch of the Doctor's fingers as he combed them through the golden strands. Having had enough of the distance between them, Rose grabbed the front of his waistcoat and pulled him on top of her as she fell back on the bed.

The action startled the Doctor enough to break the kiss, and he chuckled in delight when Rose wriggled back on the bed to rest her head on the pillows, keeping a firm grip on him to pull him along. Clothes were shed between giggles and kisses, and as they made love after more than a week, they could both feel the urge to press their fingers against the other's temple and delve into each other's mind. Fortunately, the Doctor had some semblance of control left and he linked their hands together and held them down on the pillows on either side of Rose's head to avoid the temptation.

The TARDIS floated along in the vortex but the Doctor and Rose had already lost themselves in each other's embrace.

* * *

When Rose awoke, she realised that it was because it was cold. Shivering lightly, she reached for the Doctor but met the empty side of the bed. Her eyes opened and she sat up in bed, groaning when her back cracked. She reached for her dressing gown and pulled it on before leaving the bed to go in search of the Doctor. The corridor outside was lit mutely and the floor felt a little too cool to Rose. As the sleepy fog lifted from her brain, Rose realised that it really was quite cold in the TARDIS. She quickened her steps but saw that their bedroom was no longer close to the console room and the TARDIS had moved things around again.

There was only one corridor in front of her and Rose followed it, trying not to shiver when it seemed to get colder and darker as she went on. She thought to call for the Doctor when she rounded the corner but nearly jumped in shock when she saw something translucent glowing down the corridor. She walked towards it slowly, and the figure straightened up as she got close to it.

It was the Doctor, looking pale and ghostly, with a deep stab wound in his abdomen that had stained his white shirt crimson. He had his mouth open in a silent scream and one of his hands was reaching for her while the other was held over the wound.

"DOCTOR!" shouted Rose and ran towards him. His image seemed to flicker but Rose didn't notice it in her concern. She was nearly up to him when the dim lights in the TARDIS extinguished completely before reappearing brightly like usual. Rose stumbled to a stop as she realised that she was all alone in the corridor again and it was no longer unnaturally cold or dark.

She heard footsteps coming towards her and she breathed in relief when she saw the Doctor, uninjured and solid, running over to her in concern. "Rose, are you alright?" he asked, cupping her face and gazing at her in worry. "Did you have a nightmare?" Rose hugged him tightly, trying to calm her breathing. "You are frozen to the bone, darling. Come on, let me take you back to bed."

Rose let him carry her back to bed, trying her hardest to shake off the image of him she'd seen. The Doctor deposited her into the bed and pulled the duvet over her legs and propped up some pillows behind her. "Rose?" he asked, his eyes melting in concern.

"It wasn't a nightmare," said Rose slowly, once she started to relax. "It was cold when I woke up and the TARDIS led me down this corridor where it was all weird. And I saw…" she trailed off as a shiver shot up her spine.

"What did you see?" asked the Doctor gently.

"You," said Rose. "But you were all transparent, like a ghost, and you were hurt." She ran a hand over his uninjured abdomen as if to reassure herself that he was fine.

The Doctor watched the action in concern, and kissed her forehead softly. "Sounds like a nightmare to me," he said. "Though we could have jumped time tracks in the vortex."

Rose looked at him in alarm. "Do you think I caught a glimpse of some timeline that is about to happen?" she asked.

"Possibly, but considering there are about a million possibilities existing around us at all times, I would think that it was unlikely," he said, smiling at her. "Besides, I happen to quite like this body of mine and I am in no hurry to change it just yet." Rose smiled back reluctantly and the Doctor beamed at her before he kissed her soundly. "Now," he said, pulling away. "Breakfast's getting cold."

Rose's brow furrowed when she saw him reach over to the side table where he had placed the breakfast tray. She guessed that he must have brought it to surprise her with breakfast in bed and then gone looking for her when he hadn't found her. She smiled at him as he placed the small fold table between them and the tray on top of it. There was fresh tea, crepes with cut up fruit and a bowl of fresh berries and cream.

They fed each other as they talked and Rose had all but forgotten the grisly image by the time they had finished their breakfast. The Doctor had bounded to the bathroom halfway through, calling that he was going to draw a bath, since Rose was still a touch too cool for his comfort. Rose smiled fondly as she finished her tea and kissed him gratefully upon his return. He had shooed her off to the bathroom, promising to join her after he had cleared up the breakfast things.

As soon as Rose had left with a promising wink, the Doctor drew out his sonic screwdriver and did a quick scan, just to make sure that nothing was wrong. The scan did not turn up anything suspicious and so he dismissed the matter and decided to join Rose in the bath.

She was lying back in the bath with her eyes closed, a content smile playing on her lips. Her eyes fluttered open when she heard him and with a bright smile, she scooted forward so that he could sink into the bath behind her.

"Alright?" she asked, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder.

He kissed her temple and nodded, running his hands over her thighs under the water. "I think we should stay in for the day," he murmured, letting his lips drift up and down her neck. "What do you reckon?"

"No complaints from me," said Rose, gasping when he nibbled on her earlobe. "Maybe tomorrow we can go bungee jumping on Phobos like you promised before."

"Whatever you like," he said, letting his hands drift to her inner thighs while his mouth stayed busy with her neck and shoulders. "Although, for now…"

A loud crash interrupted whatever the Doctor was about to say and the two of them jumped in shock. "What was that?" asked Rose, feeling her heart go cold as the image of the Doctor from before slammed back into her mind with force.

The Doctor was looking tense as well. "I don't know," he said. "I should go and check."

"I'll come too," said Rose immediately and the Doctor did not argue as they left the bath and pulled on their bathrobes before leaving their bathroom together quickly.

The crash seemed to have come from the general direction of the library, so the two of them jogged over to it. The doors were closed but as they pushed them open, they were greeted by the sight of the giant chandelier having crashed onto the floor and broken into pieces.

"What in the hell," muttered Rose as they walked in carefully, trying to avoid stepping into the broken crystal shards. "Isn't this the floating chandelier? How can it have just fallen?"

"Maybe it ran out of power," said the Doctor, though the disbelief was evident in his tone. He looked around the library as if expecting to see someone who wasn't supposed to be there, when he heard Rose's loud gasp.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing into the broken shards and the Doctor saw two black lumps lying side by side under the broken chandelier.

"Oh no," he said, as he realised what they were. Rose's sharp intake of breath told him that she had come to the same conclusion as well.

They were looking at the corpses of Jasper and Stewart.

* * *

**A/N End of Part 1. Thanks for reading. **

**Part 2 will be up next Tuesday. See you then!**


	6. The Labyrinth: Ghosts in the Mansion

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thank you for the amazing response on the last chapter. I am so sorry for hurting the bats.**

**Part 2 of the story and things are sort of getting worse. **

**Happy Reading!**

* * *

**The Labyrinth: Ghosts in the Mansion**

It was with a sombre air that the Doctor and Rose returned to their room to get dressed. The Doctor had gently lifted the corpses of their furry little friends and examined them carefully. The crashing chandelier hadn't killed them, he had said in a quiet voice. They had suffocated to death.

Rose had been upset enough at the sight of them, and the news that Jasper and Stewart had died such a horrible death had made her quite distraught. The Doctor wasn't any better, in fact, he was furious. Something had got past his TARDIS's defences and killed the little occupants who had made the TARDIS their home.

"Do you think this has something to do with what I saw before?" asked Rose in a quiet voice as she tied her boots.

"Perhaps," said the Doctor stiffly, knotting his cravat messily. A loud gong echoed through the TARDIS and the two of them exchanged a quick look. "The Cloister Bell. Come on."

Rose bounded after him, unwilling to lose sight of him. The image of him bleeding kept flashing before her eyes every time she even looked at him, and there was no way she was going to let that happen. The Doctor came to a stop just outside the Cloister Room and Rose brushed back memories of the Doctor getting amnesia in this very place all that time ago. Exchanging a look, the Doctor and Rose crossed the threshold and stepped into the Cloister Room that held the Eye of Harmony.

Unlike the last time, however, there was no glint in the Eye of Harmony. Instead, there was a sickly green smoke surrounding it, that made them both stop short.

"What is that?" asked Rose finally, feeling unnerved at the unnatural smoke.

"I have absolutely no idea," said the Doctor, without any trace of the excitement that was usually laced through those words. He looked grim, his eyes still flashing in anger.

"Is the TARDIS sick?" asked Rose.

"No, she's functioning perfectly," said the Doctor, his jaw clenching in anger. "Whatever the interference is, it's coming from outside."

"But aren't we in the vortex?" asked Rose as the Doctor spun around and started for the console room.

He didn't answer for a moment and when he spoke, he sounded like he was barely stopping himself from snarling in anger. "I think someone has been interfering with the TARDIS for a while now," he said.

"What?" asked Rose, shocked.

"The way we got into Arthur's world, and then back into your universe without a hitch, and the way our return is affecting the TARDIS, none of it is natural and it certainly isn't supposed to happen," he said.

"But only the Time Lords can remotely control the TARDIS, can't they?" asked Rose as they reached the console room.

"Yes, and I mean to call them and ask precisely what they think they're doing," the Doctor was shouting by the end. He moved towards the console and roughly pulled a few switches, and Rose tried not to wince at the anger in his movements. She knew how much he hated anyone touching the TARDIS, and this went well beyond even the Time Lords' usual interference.

A frustrated growl brought her attention back to him, and Rose grasped his hand comfortingly, stroking her thumb over it to calm him down. It worked, but only a little.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"The controls are jammed," he said. "I can't operate them."

Rose's brow furrowed. "The scanners are working though," she said, pointing to the monitors. "Is the main one working?"

The Doctor stopped glaring at the console and got a thoughtful look on his face. He pulled the main lever and the ceiling became transparent. "We are not in the vortex," he said, looking at the sight of open space above them.

"Is it me or is that asteroid getting bigger?" asked Rose, her eyes going wide with alarm.

The Doctor dropped her hand and tried to get them to change course but with the controls jammed, the TARDIS would not move from her set trajectory. They were about to crash into the asteroid, and the rate with which the asteroid was getting closer was not encouraging of a smooth landing.

"This isn't going to work, we need a sturdy hold," said Rose when the Doctor continued to pull at the controls.

At her words, he abandoned his work and grabbed her hand to pull her towards the closest supply closet. It was full of rather heavy carpets and the two of them took refuge inside it, grateful for the extra padding when the TARDIS crashed spectacularly on the asteroid. The Doctor, who had tucked Rose's head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her to keep her safe, was the first to move.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Rose nodded as they both straightened up. "Yeah, you?"

"Nothing broken or bruised at least," he said and opened the closet door.

The console room was in semi-darkness with all but two light sources completely extinguished. The console itself was smoking lightly, but the smoke had a distinctly green tinge to it.

"That seems familiar," said Rose, looking at the smoke warily. "Where are we?"

The Doctor was glaring angrily at the green smoke which was getting denser and more prominent, nearly obscuring the console. "I am going to find out," he answered, setting off towards it with purpose when the TARDIS doors sprang open suddenly.

Rose jumped at the noise and moved closer to the Doctor who was staring at the doors in disbelief. Nothing happened for a moment and then the doors seemed to break free of the TARDIS and disappear completely. A creaking sound was heard right as parts of the TARDIS started breaking apart, seemingly vanishing into the green smoke.

"We have to move," said Rose, grabbing the Doctor's hand who seemed to be frozen in shock.

He was too stunned to react but he followed Rose when she led him out of the TARDIS through the gaping hole where the doors used to be. They emerged out into a forest, but rather than take in their surroundings, they turned around to look at the TARDIS which was all but engulfed with the green smoke. They watched in disbelief as the smoke gradually thinned and then vanished completely leaving no trace of the TARDIS behind.

The Doctor shook off Rose's hand and walked over to where the TARDIS had left marks in the dirt. He extended his hand cautiously, as if expecting to touch the TARDIS, or rather hoping to, but his hand met nothing but empty air. His fist clenched and he turned away with a dark look on his face.

"We should have stayed inside," he said.

Rose gaped at him. "Are you mad? That smoke, whatever it was, would have taken us too," she said.

"We don't know if it would have harmed us," he snapped angrily.

"Do you really think that anything that makes the TARDIS break apart like that can be good for us?" demanded Rose, feeling her temper brewing. "This way we at least have a chance to find out what's going on."

He gritted his teeth and didn't say anything. Rose decided to ignore him in favour of looking at their surroundings. The air was slightly chilly and smelled like the pine forest that they were in. The ground under their feet was muddy but not overly so. Evening or something that looked like evening had fallen over the place and it appeared as if it would get darker. Rose walked around the clearing once, looking for any clear paths that might lead outside when she saw what could possibly be lights.

"This way, come on," she said, setting off on her way without waiting to see if the Doctor followed.

The sound of his footsteps behind her told her that he was indeed following her, though if she had to guess his mood, the slight stomping of his feet as he walked would tell her that he was still angry. Normally, she would be at least attempting to coax him out of the bad mood he was in, but she was irritated herself and she feared that she would snap at him if she spoke at this moment. Sometimes silence was better than hurtful words that neither of them meant being hurled at each other.

The Doctor, for his part, knew he was behaving rather unfairly but he was far too worried about the TARDIS to think of anything else at the moment. He did regret snapping at Rose, who had made a sound decision while he had frozen up like a novice. With a sigh, he caught up to her and took her hand as they continued to walk. She didn't pull away, as he had half-expected her to, and he was content in the knowledge that despite there being no forgiveness on her face, she didn't look as angry either.

They had walked in silence for more than half an hour when the trees finally cleared and they found the source of the light. It was a brightly-lit Georgian mansion and as the Doctor and Rose got closer to it, they realised that there were several people in extravagant clothing milling towards the mansion. The curious thing was that they appeared translucent, rather like ghosts and none of them seemed to notice the Doctor and Rose in their midst.

"Are they ghosts?" asked Rose, breaking the silence in her astonishment.

"Yes," answered the Doctor. "We are not on Earth, that much is certain."

Rose nodded, having guessed that already. Despite the Georgian mansion, nothing about the clothing seemed to indicate that they were from Earth. Everything from the draping to the fabrics and hairstyles spoke of a civilisation similar to Earth, but not the same. "How could we have gone beyond the Earth?" she asked quizzically.

"The same way we are being moved through universes, I expect," he said and then turned around sharply. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" asked Rose. All she could hear where the hushed whispers of the ghostly people.

"The TARDIS," he said, looking at her like she had gone mad. "I heard the TARDIS."

"You mean telepathically?" she asked, confused.

"No, I don't mean telepathically," he snapped, dropping her hand and jogging to where he had heard the sound from.

Rose raised her eyebrows and followed him. "The dematerialisation sound? Are you sure?" she asked.

"Of course I am sure," he said, though he did not look as positive.

Rose pursed her lips but decided not to push further. "Come on, let's head back," she said, taking his hand.

"Back where?" he asked, though he allowed himself to be led away. "Back to ghostland?"

"Ghostland or not, they're the only signs of life we have seen so far," said Rose, realising the irony of her sentence but deciding not to dwell on it. "So, tell me, how do you think these ghosts exist? I thought there were no such things…"

"Not in the known universe," he said as they walked up to the mansion, moving past the ghosts with ease. "But I don't know where we are or what rules govern their existence in this realm."

"Could it be something else?" asked Rose, as they passed a woman dressed in a splendid orange and gold dress with red feathers lining her hem making her look like a phoenix.

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like, I don't know, they could be existing in a different dimension," said Rose.

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, and an enormous man dressed in a lurid lime coloured suit neatly side-stepped him as if it were a subconscious movement. "It's possible," he said slowly. "If that's the case, then it's just these people existing in a different dimension," he added, touching the closest bookcase and feeling solid wood under his hand.

"So the mansion is here, but the people aren't," said Rose, her eyes going wide.

The Doctor opened his mouth to correct her, presumably because it was just a theory but he heard the sound of the TARDIS dematerialising again and his head whipped around. "The TARDIS," he said, taking off towards the rear entrance of the mansion.

Rose followed him a moment later, still not having heard anything. She was starting to worry about him. If the TARDIS was around, how was it that only he could hear her materialising and dematerialising? She nearly bumped into his back when he stopped just shy of exiting the mansion.

"Nothing," he said, his eyes searching the land beyond the mansion for signs of the blue box and not finding any.

"Doctor," said Rose gently. "Let's focus on this right now, okay?"

He stared at her for a moment before a cynical smile graced his face. "You think I am losing my mind?" he asked wryly.

Rose felt a stab of annoyance at his tone but she decided to keep her calm. "No, I don't think you are losing your mind," she said. "We are both on edge, Doctor, and it would be better if we were focused."

"Focused on what?" he asked, his voice rising though no one but Rose heard it. "These ghosts that are apparently beings from a different dimension?"

Rose's cool demeanour broke and she glared at the Doctor. "Fine, you go off chasing the sound that only you can hear," she snapped. "I am going to see if I can do something that is more useful."

She stalked off in anger and the Doctor glared at her back. He heard the TARDIS sound again, and his head snapped towards it. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and tried to locate the sound but the screwdriver seemed to fizzle before dying out completely. He sighed in defeat and decided that maybe Rose had been right, and he ought to stop chasing shadows and focus on the next tangible thing even though it was no better than shadows. He started to go after Rose only to see that she had vanished into the crowd.

With a growl of frustration, he started to look for her.

Rose, on the other hand, had found herself in the main ballroom, where the orchestra was playing Strauss, of all things. _The Blue Danube_ had always been a favourite of hers, ever since she and the Doctor had danced to it one night in the library. It had been after a particularly harrowing adventure in the Himalayas, and Fitz had all but collapsed in bed. The Doctor and Rose had retired to the library but been too wired up to sleep.

The TARDIS had graciously moved the record player back into the library and they had danced the Viennese waltz with all the right steps, giggling in places but smiling softly at each other in parts. By the time the song had concluded, the tension in the air was so thick that they had ended up making love on the rug in front of the fireplace in the library. They had laughed about it the next day, teasing each other about it being far too much of a cliche.

The memory brought a wistful smile to Rose's face as she leaned against the wall and watched the dancers glide along effortlessly to the music. It was utterly beautiful to watch, from the way their lovely dresses flared, to the smiles on their faces, and the way that even the lurid clothes seemed just at home among the colourful atmosphere of the party. The music seemed to get a little louder and the colours looked a little more pronounced, drawing Rose in even more. She wished she and the Doctor hadn't been fighting, she would have loved to dance with him.

In her wistfulness, she didn't notice it when someone sidled up to her and cleared their throat. Rose jumped out of habit, forgetting entirely that she was supposed to be invisible to their eye. The woman who had got her attention was looking directly at Rose and smiling gently. She was dressed in an extravagantly beaded golden gown, and had blonde hair not unlike Rose's own.

"There you are," she said upon seeing Rose. "You're not even dressed."

"I know, I'm sorry," said Rose, smiling vaguely at the woman. A tiny part of her mind was thinking that it wasn't the response she had planned to give but was silenced by the larger part which seemed to recognise the woman before her without trouble. "I got held up."

"Well, no matter," said the woman and took Rose's arm. "Come along, I'll help you."

Rose nodded and gripped her arm gratefully as she followed her out of the ballroom and up the stairs. "Thank you for helping me," she said, her voice sounding oddly soft as they nodded at the people who bowed to them as they passed. "I am very nervous about tonight."

"That is perfectly understandable," said the woman, leading her into a lavishly decorated bedroom. "But you know how important tonight is, don't you?"

"I do," said Rose, lowering her eyes. "I won't let you down, I swear."

"I know you will not, Arkytior," said the Gold Guardian warmly. "I know."

* * *

**A/N End of Part 2. What did you think?**

**Part 3 will be up next Tuesday. See you then!**


	7. The Labyrinth: Treasure Waltz

**Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. I do not own anything, nor do I get paid for it.**

**A/N Thanks for the lovely reviews on the last chapter. This chapter is a bit short but I hope you like it just the same.**

**Link to Rose's dress is on my profile.**

**Happy Reading!**

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**The Labyrinth: Treasure Waltz**

"Don't you think this is a bit too much?" asked Rose, as the Gold Guardian did her hair.

"It is the most important night of your life," said the Gold Guardian, meeting her gaze in the mirror. "Nothing is excessive."

Rose ran her hand over the sequins of her gold dress and nodded. "Whatever you say," she said.

"You are almost ready," said the Gold Guardian, squeezing her shoulder gently. "There is just one more thing."

At her questioning glance, the Gold Guardian reached over to the vanity and picked up a red velvet case. She snapped it open and nestled amongst the ivory silk was a golden rose pin. The Gold Guardian picked it up delicately and held it up to Rose. "Handcrafted by me personally," she said.

Rose closed her eyes and bowed her head, in a gesture for her to go ahead. With a smile, the Gold Guardian finished doing her hair and used the pin to keep the complicated bun held up. "All done," she said.

Rose opened her eyes and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "What do you think?" she asked.

"Absolutely beautiful," said the Gold Guardian. "He will not be able to resist."

Rose went pink as she stood up. "Are you sure? He is a Time Lord," she felt necessary to point that out.

"You know he isn't like the others," said the Gold Guardian, before she narrowed her eyes. "If you are not ready…"

"No, I am," said Rose hastily. "I will be fine."

"Good," said the Gold Guardian with a smile. "Come then."

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The Doctor jogged back to the main ballroom, looking for Rose. He had run through the entire ground level of the mansion twice and hadn't seen any sign of her. The ghosts around him were oblivious as ever of his presence, and the low strains of music were starting to grate on his nerves.

He finally left the ballroom and found the hallway with the grand staircase. He was about to head to the floors above to look for Rose when he realised that people were flocking to either side of the stairway and waiting eagerly for the person descending down the stairs. He maneuvered past them and was about to go upstairs when he saw Rose walking down the stairs. His instinct to call out to her froze on his lips and he felt his mouth go dry.

It was Rose, he knew it was Rose, but she looked no more real than the other people around him. The radiant golden colour of her gown (and he did have to wonder when she had changed her clothes) was muted and translucent like everyone else around him. She was smiling widely, but not at him, in fact it didn't seem like she could see him at all.

He walked up to her, but she breezed right past him without a second glance and he felt like his stomach had turned to lead. "Rose," he murmured but she didn't turn around. Without hesitating, he went after her and fell in step with her and her companion, an older woman whom the Doctor didn't recognise.

"A few more guests are yet to arrive," her companion was whispering and the Doctor had to strain his ears to hear her. "So there's no hurry yet."

"How will I know him?" asked Rose nervously.

The words sounded a little odd to the Doctor. Rose's accent had softened over the years they had travelled together but now there was a refinement to the tone that seemed a little too foreign to belong to Rose. His look of worry deepened and he kept up with them to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Oh, you will know," said her companion with a knowing smile. "It will be a feeling like no other when you see him."

"But how will I know?" asked Rose insistently.

"Dance with every one of them until you feel a connection," she said.

They arrived at the entrance of the ballroom and the Doctor nearly growled in anger when he saw the admiring looks being directed at Rose. If he had to hazard a guess from the snippet of conversation he had caught, he would think they were talking about a betrothal. The mere idea of Rose being brainwashed by these beings into marrying someone that wasn't him had him seeing red. In his anger, he missed the name being announced for Rose and her companion and he brushed past the ghosts to walk into the ballroom after them.

He reached Rose just in time for her to walk into the middle of the ballroom and sink into a perfect curtsey as the guests all bowed to her. She straightened up and the Doctor couldn't help but notice as nearly every man and a few women approached her to claim her first dance. She bestowed her smile, the one that she reserved for the Doctor, on a tall, handsome man in a traditional Earth tuxedo and accepted his hand for a dance.

The Doctor's fists clenched as a flash of possessiveness went through him. The expression on Rose's dance partner's face was one of a man who couldn't believe his own good fortune. The Doctor knew it very well, he knew he wore it himself when he was in Rose's presence. He saw the expanse of Rose's back left bare by her gown and the way her dance partner's hand was resting there and all he could think of was ripping those hands off her.

He bumped into someone roughly and muttered out an apology, his eyes fixed on Rose and her partner who were swaying to the music. The music felt louder than ever and the Doctor's headache was getting worse. It took him a moment longer to realise that he had physically bumped into someone, and that was only just enough to draw his attention away from Rose.

"My lord," said the man who the Doctor had bumped into. "We didn't expect you to come."

"I promised Rassilon I would," said the Doctor, the words slipping out easily. His brow furrowed at the odd words but the loud music and the tinge of jealousy colouring his vision was making it hard to focus. "Who is she?" he asked, eyes trained on the woman in question.

"Lady Arkytior, my lord," he said. "An Eternal, as I understand it."

"I see," he said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Excuse me."

Without even waiting to see if his abrupt departure had upset the person he'd been talking to, he brushed through the dancers just as the song came to an end. Dance partners bowed to each other and clapped politely for the orchestra. He ignored all of it, his attention fixed single-mindedly on her and before one of the other hopefuls even had a chance to approach her, he had snatched up her hand and drawn her against him.

Her eyes were wide as coins at his audacious manner, but she relaxed almost immediately, her lips curving into a smile. "If it was a dance you wanted, you only had to ask," she said.

He ran a deliberate eye from the top of her golden head, down her gold dress and back to her sparkling eyes and shook his head. "I couldn't take the chance of losing you to one of your admirers," he said, inclining his head towards the crowd where more than one of the hopefuls were glaring daggers at him.

Her smile widened at that. "I had heard of Time Lords being possessive, but towards someone you have only just met? A bit unusual, is it not?" she asked, teasing evident in her tone.

The music started up and he started leading them perfectly, without ever moving his gaze from her eyes. "Unusual, yes, but hardly unheard of," he said. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Arkytior."

"Hardly fair that you know my name but I don't know yours," she pointed out, raising her eyebrows.

"A name's unimportant from where I come from," he said. "Unless it is spoken in the most intimate of circumstances," he added in a voice dripping with innuendo.

She laughed joyfully at that. "You are unlike any Time Lord I have ever met," she said, her words tinged with wonder.

"I shall take that as a compliment," he said. "I would like nothing better than to assure you that it is merely your presence that has left me without my manners, but I have been told several times that rudeness is my natural state of being."

"Rudeness is quite refreshing," she said in a soft voice, a pink blush staining her cheeks. "But I do take some objection to the notion that my presence would ever make you lose your manners," she added, gaining her cheekiness back.

The song ended and someone cleared their throat, but neither of them moved their gaze from each others'. A new song started up and he smiled as he started leading them again. "You are an Eternal," he said. "You can take on the appearance of any creature in this universe. It is not your physical beauty that has drawn me in, although I do think you are quite beautiful."

She blushed red at that. "Definitely unlike any Time Lord I have ever known," she nodded firmly, biting her lip to stop her wide smile.

He drew her closer and ran his fingers over her spine in a touch that was lighter than any feather, making her shiver. "Time is precious, to a Time Lord most of all," he said, his voice going low and husky as his eyes moved between her eyes and lips. "Why waste it trivialising and dancing around the issue when it is quite clear that our minds have been clamouring to join from the moment our hands touched?"

She gasped at his bold words and lowered her gaze. "You know nothing about me," she said, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"And you know nothing of me," he said. "Yet it's curious how little we both care, don't we? You, an Eternal and me, a Time Lord. Hardly beings you would consider to be slaves to their baser instincts."

She met his challenging gaze boldly. "If that is the matter then we should do the right thing and walk away from each other right this moment," she said. "Before those baser instincts overwhelm us and override our sense of judgment."

"Is that what you want, my Arkytior?" he asked, moving his lips to her ear to murmur those words quietly. "Do you want me to go?"

Her eyes fluttered shut, her breath catching in her chest at his words. "I do not appreciate being claimed," she said, but the impact of her words was ruined by the breathiness of her voice.

"I would not complain if you were to return the favour," he said roguishly, pulling back so he could look at her again. "Do you know what I think? I think you have always listened to what you have been told. Followed orders, served the Guardians loyally and never let yourself waver in your responsibilities. Am I wrong?"

She glared coldly at him. "And you think I should be more like you?" At his look of surprise, she smirked. "Your reputation precedes you. You are one of the founders of the Time Lord society but you have never followed an order in your life, and you don't think that any way other than yours is the right one."

"You're right, I don't," he said, smirking back. "But at least I am honest about what I want and who I want. What about you, Arkytior? Will you break your vows or is it your own heart you would rather break?"

"Do not presume to know my heart," she said coolly.

"I would never," he said, looking so sincere that she did a doubletake. "I am only asking you to know your own heart, my precious flower." He smiled and finally broke his gaze from hers to look around the ballroom. "I think I spotted a balcony just off the parlour on my way here. Fresh air will do me good."

The song ended just as he lifted her hand and placed a lingering kiss on the back of it. With a roguish wink at her, he dropped her hand and left towards the balcony with a definite swagger in his steps. She stood there and watched him go with a stunned expression on her face for a full minute, hardly noticing the group of hopefuls who had gathered near her for a dance.

"Excuse me, I need air," she said, without looking at any of them and left the ballroom hastily, hardly caring that she was probably being unquestionably rude.

He was waiting in the balcony, hands resting on the railing. She paused just outside the doors and fidgeted with her hands, her mind going around in circles. She finally steeled herself and opened the doors and stepped out onto the balcony, letting the doors fall close behind her.

He heard the doors close and he turned around with a tender smile on his face. "Have you made up your mind?" he asked.

She walked towards him and didn't stop until she was standing right in front of him. "Yes," she whispered and he was startled to see tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, my Arkytior?" he asked, touching his fingers to her cheek tenderly.

"I have made my choice," she said and placed her hand on top of his where it was resting on her cheek. "And I am so sorry."

He only had a moment to look surprised before he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down in shock and saw crimson blood seeping through his clothes. Arkytior pulled the dagger out of his body and let it fall to the ground.

"As I said," she said, her voice trembling. "I am sorry."

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**A/N Thank you for reading. Let me know what you thought.**

**Part 4 will be up next Tuesday. See you then!**


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